People often argue that one should not mix politics with sports. For the longest time however, Taiwan has been victimized by China's bullying and its athletes forced to compete under the name "Chinese Taipei" at various international events thanks to the pact signed in 1981 between the then Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government and the International Olympic Committee.
While it is understandable that Taiwan needs to honor the pact and thus follow the rules set out in the agreement -- which stated that in return for being allowed to participate in international sporting events, sports teams must use the name "Chinese Taipei" and fly the "Chinese Taipei Olympic flag" -- it should be a different fight when it comes to non-Olympic events.
Taiwan, however, is still being forced to use the label "Chinese Taipei" in non-Olympic events such as the World Baseball Classic.
The upcoming Classic is neither an Olympic event nor an event held under the auspices of the UN. It is an international tournament featuring mayor league players. It will be staged for the first time next month, with the final game scheduled to be played in San Diego, California.
While the online encyclopedia Wikipedia deserves kudos for using Taiwan as the nation's title when listing the 16 participating teams, the World Baseball Classic's official Web site lists the national team under the name "Chinese Taipei," while China has listed the team under the name "China, Taipei" on its Web site.
China's vulgar act has drawn the ire of Taiwanese Web surfers. It should, however, remind all Taiwanese that they should refuse to be silent in the face of China's incessant coercion and oppression.
Since the 1981 pact condemned Taiwan to the name "Chinese Taipei," protests over the title at non-Olympic events have drawn rapid opposition from China and have led to accusations of "politicizing sports."
But who are the people of "Chinese Taipei"? This ghost does not exist on any map.
According to a survey conducted last year by the Government Information Office, a majority of people in the US, Japan and Germany view Taiwan as "Taiwan," not "Chinese Taipei," "China, Taipei," or "part of China" for that matter.
According to a recent poll conducted by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper), almost 60 percent of respondents viewed themselves as Taiwanese. Just 8.6 percent said they considered themselves to be Chinese.
Should Taiwan continue playing dumb and tolerating these indignities, it will appear increasingly natural for the international community and Taiwanese themselves to use this wretched title.
While Taiwan is bound for the moment by the 1981 pact, this does not mean that the nation should passively accept alternative titles at other international events.
All the affected government agencies -- from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports -- should fight to increase Taiwan's visibility and win it respect in domestic and international settings.
If politicizing sports is what it takes to defend this nation's dignity, then so be it. Only the terminally naive could argue that "Chinese Taipei" does not represent an ongoing political insult.
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